Meanings
sambaza1
plural sambazas
- AfricaEastcountableuncountableThe Lake Tanganyika sardine, Limnothrissa miodon.
A kilogramme of Tanganyika sardines (sambaza) that used to cost Rwf4,000 mid this year has shot to Rwf6,000. Sambaza is widely consumed fish species in Rwanda both by low-income earners and upper classes.
2013 November 1, “Rwandans dig deeper into their pockets to eat dear fish”, in The EastAfrican, archived from the original on 17 Dec 20222 more examples
Sambaza are thought to have been introduced to Kivu (the 2,700 sq km lake on Rwanda's eastern border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the 1950s from Lake Tanganyika further south, and, despite their reputation as a delicacy, stocks have remained mostly consistent ever since.
2017 July 16, Emma Love, “Snap up a silvery delicacy from Lake Kivu, Rwanda”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020Sold dry sambaza go for a higher price than they do fresh. And in Eastern Rwanda, they form a central part of the edible economy; almost every dish in the restaurants along the lush banks of Lake Kivu incorporates sambaza, but perhaps most tastily as the crispy fried accompaniment to a sunset beer.
2018 November 30, Shannon Sims, “Rwandan Women Paddle Into the Male World of Fishing”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 14 Dec 2022
sambaza2
present singular third person sambazas · participle present sambazaing · participle past sambazaed · past sambazaed
- AfricaEastslangTo send credit using the Sambaza system; (generally) to send or share something.
They say that sharing is caring, and Safaricom users have wondered how to sambaza Safaricom bundles from one device to another.
2021 October 5, Grace Waruguru, “How to sambaza Safaricom bundles easily: Step-by-step guide”, in Tuko, archived from the original on 03 Jul 20221 more example
What would you do if you were able to share Kenya Power tokens with friends or family, just in the same manner you Sambaza data bundles or airtime?
2022 July 8, Kenn Abuya, “Kenya Power Set to Introduce Sambaza Tokens”, in Techweez, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2022
Origin
- Swahilisambaza“to disperse, scatter”
- Englishsambaza
Borrowed from Swahili sambaza (“to disperse, scatter”), popularized by Sambaza, a credit sharing service developed by Kenyan mobile network operator Safaricom in 2005.
More words from Swahili
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sambaza. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sambaza
“sambaza.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sambaza. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sambaza,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sambaza.
Source: sambaza on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.